Padded wearing article

ABSTRACT

A padded wearing article includes a wearing main body and at least one protective unit. The protective unit includes a fabric layer that has a periphery adhesively connected to the wearing main body, a plurality of buffering pads spaced apart from each other and located between the fabric layer and the wearing main body, and at least one insert pad disposed around the buffering pads. Each of the buffering pads includes a top surface and a bottom surface that respectively contact the fabric layer and the wearing main body, and the insert pad includes a top surface and a bottom surface that are adhesively and respectively bonded to the fabric layer and the wearing main body.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority of Taiwanese Patent Application Number 105207913, filed on May 27, 2016.

FIELD

The disclosure relates to a wearing article, more particularly to a padded wearing article.

BACKGROUND

For protection against athletic injuries, padded wearing articles such as shoulder pads, rib protectors, hip pads, thigh pads, shin pads and so forth, are commonly worn by athletes in a variety of sports, e.g., baseball, football, rugby, and hockey.

Referring to FIG. 1, a conventional padded wearing article 1 includes a wearing main body 11 and a protective unit 12 connected to the wearing main body and adapted to absorb impact from the external environment. The protective unit 12 includes a fabric layer 121 that has a periphery sewn to the wearing main body 11, a plurality of buffering pads 122 spaced apart among one another and located between the fabric layer 121 and the wearing main body 11, and two adhesive layers 123 respectively and adhesively bonding top and bottom surfaces of the buffering pads 122 to the fabric layer 121 and the wearing main body 11.

Since the fabric layer 121 is connected to the wearing main body 11 through sewing, sutures may rub the user's skin to cause itching or bleeding. Furthermore, the conventional padded wearing article 1 further includes interspaces 124 between the buffering pads 122. Without any buffering function at the interspaces 124, the user may be injured due to the impact passing through the interspaces 124.

Referring to FIG. 2, another conventional padded wearing article 2 includes a wearing main body 21 and a protective unit 22 connected to the wearing main body 21 and adapted to absorb the impact from the external environment. The protective unit 22 includes a fabric layer 221, a plurality of buffering pads 222 located between the fabric layer 221 and the wearing main body 21, and a hot melt adhesive layer 223 located around the buffering pads 222 and bonded to the fabric layer 221 and the wearing main body 21.

The areas between the buffering pads 222 still have no buffering function, and the external impact is likely to pass through the areas to cause damage to the user.

SUMMARY

Therefore, an object of the disclosure is to provide a padded wearing article that can alleviate at least one of the drawbacks of the prior art.

According to one aspect of the disclosure, a padded wearing article includes a wearing main body and at least one protective unit. The protective unit includes a fabric layer that has a periphery adhesively connected to the wearing main body, a plurality of buffering pads spaced apart from each other and located between the fabric layer and the wearing main body, and at least one insert pad disposed around the buffering pads. Each of the buffering pads includes atop surface and a bottom surface which respectively contact the fabric layer and the wearing main body, and the insert pad includes a top surface and a bottom surface that are adhesively and respectively bonded to the fabric layer and the wearing main body.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other features and advantages of the disclosure will become apparent in the following detailed description of the embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary sectional view illustrating a conventional padded wearing article;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view illustrating another conventional padded wearing article;

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the first embodiment of a padded wearing article according to the disclosure, which illustrates a protective unit included in the first embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a top view of the protective unit of the first embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view of the first embodiment;

FIG. 6 is atop view illustrating a protective unit of the second embodiment of a padded wearing article according to the disclosure; and

FIG. 7 is atop view illustrating a protective unit of the third embodiment of a padded wearing article according to the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Before the present disclosure is described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying embodiments, it should be noted herein that like elements are denoted by the same reference numerals throughout the disclosure.

FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 illustrate the first embodiment of a padded wearing article according to this disclosure that includes a wearing main body 3 and at least one protective unit 4. The wearing main body 3 may be a shirt, a pant, a sock, sportswear, fencing clothing, swimsuit or wetsuit, etc. The wearing main body 3 may tightly fit against a user's body (not shown) for preventing the user from being injured by the impact from the external environment. Since the structure and form of the wearing main body 3 are not important aspects of the present disclosure, a detailed description thereof is omitted herein for the sake of brevity.

The protective unit 4 may be provided at vulnerable areas of the wearing main body 3, and includes a fabric layer 41 that has a periphery adhesively connected to the wearing main body 3, a plurality of buffering pads 43 spaced apart from each other and located between the fabric layer 41 and the wearing main body 3, at least one insert pad 44 disposed around the buffering pads 43, and an interspace 46 which is defined between the buffering pads 43, the fabric layer 41 and the wearing main body 3. In this embodiment, the protective unit 4 includes a plurality of the insert pads 44.

When the protective unit 4 receives an impact force from the external environment, the buffering pads 43 compress to buffer the impact force, thereby preventing the user from being hurt by the impact force.

Each of the buffering pads 43 includes atop surface and a bottom surface that respectively contact the fabric layer 41 and the wearing main body 3, and each of the insert pads 44 includes a top surface and a bottom surface that are adhesively and respectively bonded to the fabric layer 41 and the wearing main body 3. The insert pads 44 are inserted in the interspace 46 in a spaced apart manner, and at least one of the insert pads 44 is located between every two of the buffering pads 43.

The interspace 46 includes a plurality of spaced apart receiving portions 461 and a plurality of vent portions 462. Each of the insert pads 44 is inserted into the corresponding one of the receiving portions 461 and each of the vent portions 462 is connected between and communicates with corresponding two of the receiving portions 461 for ventilation. In this embodiment, the insert pads 44 are disposed at the corners of the buffering pads 43 to enclose the corners of the buffering pads 43. The insert pad 44 may be made from a flexible buffering material similar to the buffering pad 43.

In this embodiment, the protective unit 4 further includes a glue layer 42 connecting the periphery of the fabric layer 41 and the wearing main body 3. The glue layer 42 has a plurality of spaced-apart glue dots 421, and thus, a plurality of gaps 47 are formed between the glue dots 421. The gaps 47 may improve the ventilation effect of the padded wearing article.

In this embodiment, each of the insert pads 44 includes two adhesive layers 45. In each of the insert pads 44, one of the adhesive layers 45 is interposed between the top surface of the insert pad 44 and the fabric layer 41, and the other one of the adhesive layers 45 is interposed between the bottom surface of the insert pad 44 and the wearing main body 3 so as to bond the insert pad 44 to the wearing main body 3.

The material of the fabric layer 41 has no specific limitations. The fabric layer 41 may be made from a fabric material similar to or different from the wearing main body 3. Examples of the fabric material include mutispandex, T/C fabrics, single-sided fabrics, knitted fabrics such as circular knitting fabrics, knitted elastic fabrics and other materials.

In this embodiment, each of the buffering pads 43 is rectangular in shape. The buffering pad 43 may be made from a flexible buffering material having a high elastic deformation rate and buffering effect. Examples of the flexible buffering material include inert foam, ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) foam material, rubber, silicone and latex, etc. Other physical properties, such as elasticity, density, specific gravity, ductility, tortuosity, air permeability, tensile strength and tear strength, may be adjusted according to actual requirements.

In order to make the padded wearing article of the disclosure easy to bend and twist so as to not adversely affect movement of the user, in certain embodiments, a thickness of each of the buffering pads 43 is greater than that of an adjacent one of the insert pads 44. Since there is a thickness difference between the buffering pads 43 and the insert pads 44, the padded wearing article may have an uneven surface so that a space (not shown) may be formed between the user's body and the padded wearing article, thereby facilitating ventilation and heat dissipation.

In practice, the number, the position, the shape, and the size of each of the buffering pads 43 and the insert pads 44 may be adjusted depending on actual requirements. In addition, the protective unit 4 may be located on an outer surface or an inner surface of the wearing main body 3.

FIG. 6 illustrates the second embodiment of a padded wearing article according to the disclosure. The second embodiment is similar to the first embodiment, except for the number, the position and the shape of the insert pads 44. In the second embodiment, the insert pads 44 are disposed at four lateral sides of the buffering pads 43.

FIG. 7 illustrates the third embodiment of a padded wearing article according to the disclosure. The third embodiment is similar to the first and second embodiment, except that, the third embodiment includes only one insert pad 44 which is cross-shaped and disposed at the intersection of the buffering pads 43. In this embodiment, in each of the buffering pads 43, two of the lateral sides that do not face the adjacent buffering pads 43, are applied with the glue layer 42 so as to connect the buffering pads 43 to the fabric layer 41 and the wearing main body 3, thereby reducing the amount of the insert pads 44.

In summary, since the protective unit 4 has the buffering pads 43 and the insert pads 44, and the insert pads 44 are disposed around the buffering pads, i.e., are inserted in the interspace 46, the padded wearing article of this disclosure provides good buffering effects. As compared to the aforementioned conventional wearing article, the fabric layer 41 is adhesively connected to the wearing main body 3 by the glue layer 42, thereby eliminating the aforesaid problem caused by the sutures. Moreover, the gaps 47 formed between the glue dots 421 may improve the ventilation effect of the padded wearing article.

In the description above, for the purposes of explanation, numerous specific details have been set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art, that one or more other embodiments may be practiced without some of these specific details. It should also be appreciated that reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” an embodiment with an indication of an ordinal number and so forth means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic may be included in the practice of the disclosure. It should be further appreciated that in the description, various features are sometimes grouped together in a single embodiment, figure, or description thereof for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure and aiding in the understanding of various inventive aspects.

While the disclosure has been described in connection with what are considered the exemplary embodiments, it is understood that this disclosure is not limited to the disclosed embodiments but is intended to cover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent arrangements. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A padded wearing article, comprising: a wearing main body; and at least one protective unit, which includes a fabric layer that has a periphery adhesively connected to said wearing main body, a plurality of buffering pads spaced apart from each other and located between said fabric layer and said wearing main body, and at least one insert pad disposed around said buffering pads, wherein each of said buffering pads includes a top surface and a bottom surface that respectively contact said fabric layer and said wearing main body, and said insert pad includes a top surface and a bottom surface that are adhesively and respectively bonded to said fabric layer and said wearing main body.
 2. The padded clothing article of claim 1, wherein said protective unit includes a plurality of said insert pads.
 3. The padded clothing article of claim 2, further comprising an interspace which is defined among said buffering pads, said fabric layer and said main body, said insert pads being inserted in said interspace in a spaced apart manner, and at least one of said insert pads being located between every two of said buffering pads.
 4. The padded wearing clothing of claim 3, wherein said interspace includes a plurality of spaced apart receiving portions and a plurality of vent portions, each of said insert pads being inserted into the corresponding one of said receiving portions, and each of said vent portions being connected between and communicating with corresponding two of said receiving portions for ventilation.
 5. The padded wearing clothing of claim 1, wherein a thickness of each of said buffering pads is greater than that of an adjacent one of said insert pads.
 6. The padded clothing article of claim 1, wherein said protective unit further includes a glue layer connecting the periphery of said fabric layer and said wearing main body, said glue layer having a plurality of spaced-apart glue dots.
 7. The padded clothing article of claim 1, wherein said insert pad further includes two adhesive layers, one of said adhesive layers being interposed between said top surface of said insert pad and said fabric layer, and the other one of said adhesive layers being interposed between said bottom surface of said insert pad and said wearing main body so as to bond said insert pad to said wearing main body.
 8. The padded clothing article of claim 2, wherein each of said insert pads further includes two adhesive layers, and, in each of said insert pads, one of said adhesive layers is interposed between said top surface of said insert pad and said fabric layer, and the other one of said adhesive layers is interposed between said bottom surface of said insert pad and said wearing main body so as to bond said insert pad to said wearing main body. 